Dog Tags
by glindalupin
Summary: Post Grand Master. Danny starts a friendship with Mac, and events begin to shape it into a troubled romance. No romance yet, but MacDanny for future chapters. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Even though the title is as it is, this fic is actually a melting pot of a bunch of plot bunnies I'd been getting. I can't reveal all at the present because I haven't written it yet. Lol! But this will eventually be (what else?) MacDanny, of course. It takes place over a few eps and starts with Grand Master. Characters belong to CSI:NY and rating is T for language. Oh and I should warn you; there's a lot of angst regarding Claire.

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Hot breath at his neck and a reaching, clumsy grasp at his waist brought Danny Messer back to the present, after having been trying to drunkenly assess how he could have gotten into this situation.

The situation being that his boss, Mac Taylor, was the one haggardly panting at his side, trying to remain standing by hanging onto Danny. For he was much worse off than Danny was, in terms of drunkenness.

Danny tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it all: the fact that Mac got drunker than he did, the state of confusion when it came to ordering a cab and weaseling directions out of Mac, and now the sleepy trudge to Mac's place.

During which, Danny had been trying to remember how it came to be. He recalled the day at work easily: he had just finished the Deborah Gale case with Stella and called it a day. But then, he also remembered the slightly nerve-wracking start to the whole fiasco.

_Danny's blue eyes darted towards the glass windows of Mac's office, and he vaguely wondered if Mac had left, acknowledging the fact he was finished his case with Aiden. Judging by the light and the moving shadows against the wall, he determined he hadn't left. He quickly changed direction, heading towards his object of inquiry, for reasons he had only the vaguest notion._

_His fist tapped out a gentle knock against the pane, and a smile danced on his face. "Hey, Mac."_

_For a brief moment, Mac looked like a deer in the headlights, eyebrows poised in a startled confusion. But it vanished and was instantly replaced with a calculated smile, one that Danny could instantly tell was practiced to be deliberately polite. "Danny. What can I do for you?"_

_"Ah, right to the point, I see." A point that he felt unnerved about, for he wasn't even sure what he wanted that "point" to be, as of yet. The words quickly tumbled out of his mouth, before he had a chance to consciously handle and package them before shipping. "I'm not tired yet, and I wanted to know if you wanted to go have a beer with me."_

_Danny sharply inhaled, regretting how eager he had seemed. But Mac didn't seem to notice it, increasing the breadth of his smile and looking down at his desk. "Sullivan's?"_

_The blonde fished for a response and found one, to his amazement. "Nah, I'm kinda bored with the scenery. I was gonna head somewhere new."_

_Mac gave him an apologetic stare. "I dunno, Danny. I'm a creature of habit. I actually just got used to Sullivan's…" He had looked downwards at his desk once again, ruefully noting how little work he had left. He knew he was making excuses. Looking back up, his thoughts were disquieted by a disappointed look from Danny, directed towards the floor. Mac knew Danny didn't even realize he was looking. He bit his lip and found strength to remove that disappointment. "_But_… maybe tonight I can make an exception."_

_Danny couldn't help but smile brightly, even if he knew he appeared too ambitious and attention-hungry. Perhaps he was; he didn't know anymore. "You're gonna love it, Mac. Aiden's been raving about this place for weeks and practically begging me to go with her at least once."_

_As they collected their belongings and left the office, both chatted reservedly, and Danny had no idea that Mac was growing increasingly curious as to why Danny didn't go with Aiden, choosing instead to ask him to be the one to test the waters._

A question Danny was asking himself as he tried to haul himself and Mac up the stairs to the apartment building. _Not what I had in mind when I asked him to go with me. Oh well…_ He managed to pull him through the door and towards the elevator.

As they waited for the elevator, Mac leaned heavily into Danny, so much that Danny could smell the alcohol, as well as the sweat. He inhaled slowly, smelling something else. Mac. He was smelling Mac. Danny felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. _Fuck._ _This was unexpected…_ He tapped his foot anxiously and prayed to God Mac wouldn't notice that he was looking increasingly unsettled.

Mac mumbled something in his ear, purring an apology. Danny chuckled nervously. "Don't be sorry, Mac. It's alright; I don't mind."

The doors dinged open, so Mac tried to stand upright, his pride attempting to salvage some shred of dignity. He ultimately failed and tripped back into Danny's arms. "I'm a cheap date, huh? It didn't take much to…" He yawned widely. "To make me like this."

They managed to get into the elevator, and Danny was able to prop Mac against the wall. The blush returned when he heard Mac say "date." He was sure that he hadn't meant it as such and that it was probably the result of the few beers he had drunk, but it had the same effect as it would have if Mac were sober. Danny felt ashamed for thinking that way about… about Mac, of all people.

Mac frowned at him. "Hey, am I doing something wrong here? Cuz you're ignoring me. You can tell me if you're mad at me, you know." Danny ascertained at this point that Mac was a sullen drunk, one that found ways to place blame upon themselves.

But before he could analyze it any further, he consoled Mac. "No, I'm not mad at all, honest! You did nothing wrong, alright?" Danny rubbed Mac's arm warmly, hoping he would get the hint that he really wasn't upset.

Mac nodded quietly and stared at the floor, so Danny returned to his earlier thoughts. He assumed that it was Mac's own personality that created this form of himself, his unconscious allowing full play and therefore showing the full blown self-depreciation and social uncertainty. But he was proud of Mac, for his intolerance of alcohol made Danny assume that he wasn't a regular drinker and most likely didn't drink when Claire died. Perhaps, he did for a little bit, but Danny couldn't be sure.

But he was sure that Mac was almost sinking to the floor, so he rushed over and helped him stand, just as they reached his floor. Mac sighed and allowed himself to be helped to his door. Danny knew the apartment number from his earlier interrogation and meandered towards his goal. Suddenly, he lighted upon a possible problem. "Hey, Mac. You still got your keys, right? Didn't leave them at the bar or anything?"

"Noooo. No, I got 'em in my pocket." He nodded assuredly but made no move to fish them out himself.

Danny blushed for a brief moment and croaked, "Pants or jacket?" He looked at the former for a second, but his eyes snapped back to Mac in embarrassment.

But Mac didn't notice. He had started to pat his jacket down. "Oh, oh dear… They were supposed to be in here…" He looked helplessly at Danny.

Blue eyes widened. "Oh shit, you gotta be kidding me… Here, lemmee look." He took a step towards Mac and tentatively reached inside the jacket. He didn't hear Mac's sharp intake of breath, as he was focused upon finding the keys. And, upon the fact he was touching Mac in a way he never thought he would. Danny wondered briefly, if he was touching Mac in a way he secretly wanted to.

Finally, cool metal met his warmed fingers. "Got the bastards." He brandished them with a flourish and unlocked the apartment. "There we go. Come on, Mac."

He gripped at Mac's arm and pulled him into the doorway. His eyes bathed in the new, uncharted world, but a tug at his arm as a result from a near fall reminded him that now was not the time to gawk. Mac sighed loudly and pointed around. "Welcome to my place. Not much, but it's an okay place for sleeping."

Danny noticed that he didn't not say the normal cliché: "It's not much, but it's home." He sadly attributed this to the fact it was absent of the one person who had meant more than anything to the man attempting to detach himself from his grasp.

Mac attempted to stand and walk to the kitchen, but he soon stumbled onto the couch. Danny fearfully ran to him, but Mac batted him away. "No, I got it… It's bad enough as it is. Sorry that I got you into this."

The young CSI bit his lip but couldn't force down his opposition. "It's not your fault, Mac. _I _was the one who asked you to the bar, remember?" He walked into the kitchen and looked around. "What were you going for, Mac?"

"Aspirin. I'm starting to get a headache… Cupboard by the fridge…" He sprawled out on the couch and covered his face with his hands. "I always hated myself when I was like this."

Danny paused as he reached for the pill bottle. "Like what, Mac?" He was aware that he might be pushing it, but this was the biggest headway he'd made in the three years of working under the man. He was curious, and something in the way Mac spat out his words sent chills up his spine.

Mac let out a deep sigh. "When I was drunk like this. Drunk enough to lose some inhibitions, but not enough to lose coherence. I would know exactly what was going on, but I wouldn't give a damn what happened to me."

The cupboard shut silently, and Danny feared to ask the question lingering in the air. But he stepped out of the kitchen and gave Mac a quick glance. He hesitated but finally decided to do it anyways. "When would this drinking happen?"

"No, you mean, 'When did this start?'" Mac gave him an exasperated stare and reached out for the pill bottle. Danny released it and shivered involuntarily when their fingers brushed together. Mac smiled bitterly at the bottle, as if it had some piece of evidence that was just out of reach. "I can tell you want to know, Danny, if this had something to do with Claire." He looked back up towards Danny and saw that his hypothesis was correct in the guilty way his employee held himself.

He opened the bottle and quickly ingested a few pills without a drink of water to go with it. A sigh. "It's okay, though. Maybe it's time I actually talk to someone other than a shrink about it."

"You mean you haven't even talked to Stell about it?" _Shit. _The question slipped out without warning, as if his brain was running on autopilot. Maybe it was, considering he'd had more than a few drinks.

"Nope… She tried once, but I guess she gave up after that." He sat up and stretched again. "Damn, I'm tired. You mind if I hit the sack?"

_So close, and yet so far… Maybe he'll remember later and tell me. Or someone…_ "Yeah, go ahead. You need help to your room?" Danny prayed he didn't sound eager, and thankfully, he didn't, at least to himself.

Mac shook his head but yet again found himself tripping into Danny's arms. He laughed. "I just might, Danny." He paused and realized where he was. "I, uh, never thanked you for taking me with you to the bar, even if I ended up like this."

Danny's breath hitched, but he found his voice, which came out froggy and guarded. "D-don't worry 'bout it, Mac. I got your back, alright? Now let's get you into your room, okay?"

"Right…" Mac was silent for a spell and found the courage to say some of what he had purposefully left unspoken. "I… I did drink a few times after… after that day." He didn't need to clarify which, but he continued. "But I _never_ let it develop into a habit."

"Yeah, otherwise I woulda noticed it." _Shit… shit, shit SHIT. You stupid son of a bitch, you just made it obvious that you've been watching him._ He bit his lip and hoped Mac wouldn't get the between the lines bit he had stupidly let flow from his tongue.

Mac frowned at the door, which was now in front of them. "Wait, it's been how long since I hired you?"

"Three years." Danny could have counted the days, as well, but he didn't want to come across as obsessed or something.

"Three years?" He held out his hand for the door handle and paused, evidently thinking. "That sounds about right." Mac his head to look at Danny. "Well… Thanks for 'having my back,' as you say… Why don't you come in for a sec?"

Danny chuckled and, following Mac, walked into one of the most private recesses of Mac's world. He looked around and took in the Marine uniform on the one wall and the bookcase on the other. He saw the neatly kempt bed and the pristine dresser, adorned with a few pictures of himself and the rest of the team. He tried to keep from leaving Mac's side to feed his touchy nature and go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, and fortunately, he kept his curiosity down.

He led Mac to his bed, at which Mac sank to in exhaustion. He looked around and eventually noticed that Danny's gaze was fixed on the uniform. "God, I loved wearing that thing… Sometimes, there are days I wish I was back, if just to wear it." Danny looked back at him for a second but then back to the uniform. Something about it was alluring to Danny, so he took a few steps until he was directly in front of it.

It was enigmatic, and yet it seemed to desire to tell Danny all the secrets of what it went through with its owner. And Danny wanted know more about said owner, so he spent time looking at each individual piece of it.

Mac was busy watching him, and even though his inhibitions were lowered, his attention to detail was not. A glint at Danny's neck kept catching his eye, so he waited until Danny turned a certain way. He inhaled slowly; there was no mistaking that it was a ball-and-chain necklace. Which possibly meant one thing.

"Hey, Danny?" He turned to face Mac, a little aloof because he was still focused upon the uniform. "You wouldn't happen to be wearing dog tags, would you?"

Danny looked down at his neck and reached in his shirt to pull them out. Mac smiled, glad to see his detective skills were still working. "Yeah, they were my grandfather's."

And for an instant, Mac was saddened because he had never figured out that Danny was wearing them. For three years, he had seen them poke out beneath Danny's shirts, but he had never made a connection. But he pushed that aside, as well as his fatigue. Now he was intrigued. "When did he give them to you?"

"When he died." The sentiment sounded bitter, and Danny looked down at them, toying with the chain with his fingers. He sighed softly and looked back at Mac. "He… he left them to me in his will, and that was the only thing I got from him. But no one in my family ever seemed to want to talk about his war service, no matter how much I asked."

"Well, whatever he did, I'm sure it was brave because to me, a person is brave for putting on the uniform and being willing to serve this country." He gave Danny a smile, one that was warm and unlike any other Danny had seen in a long time.

Danny felt his body tingle, but he just whispered, "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Mac." He turned to look back at the uniform one last time and finally back at Mac. His voice was almost regretful when he spoke. "Well, I guess I need to be going. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, no. I'm good, but why don't you stay for the night? It's late, and I have extra blankets in the closet, as well as pillows. You can make quite a comfy bed from the couch. Believe me; I've done it a couple times." Mac was leaned forward now, and he looked poised, as if he were about to fly from the edge of the bed and get everything himself for Danny to stay over.

His subordinate could hear the almost command in his voice, but also a pleading quality that surprised him. Danny was even more surprised when he acquiesced. "Yeah, Mac. I'll stay. So if you need anything, I'll be out here, alright?"

"Yeah, Danny. Thanks for sticking with me… Good… Good night." He smiled again, and his eyes seemed to shine in the convoluted light.

"No problem, Mac. Good night." He walked to the door and closed it behind him with a sigh, leaving Mac to his thoughts and much needed sleep.

He stretched out his arms and looked around. The living room seemed nice enough, and if he were to imagine one for Mac, this would be it. It catered to his perfectionist issues that Danny was more than aware he had, as well as the need for practicality.

His eyes lighted upon the closet Mac was talking about, so Danny walked towards it. He opened it carefully and briefly remembered that cliché about skeletons in the closet and peered in. It was dark, so he fumbled about for a light. He switched it on and saw it was a relatively normal closet. Danny saw the blankets and pillows in there, just as Mac had described, and took a few to throw across the couch.

Danny was about to close the door when he saw something. There were colors poking out from a box on the top shelf, which was marked "C." Looking closer, he could assume that the colors were part of a beach ball. _A beach ball? What does C stand for? _He thought for a moment and nearly hit himself when he realized it. _Claire._ His heart seemed to slow in the sympathy he felt for Mac, assuming from the look of the apartment that it was the only thing he kept of hers.

He shook his head quickly and tried to shake away the negative thoughts. He made his bed quickly and found himself returning to the scene at the bar.

_Danny had held the door open for Mac and watched his face for any signs of whether he approved or not. Mac never gave one and waited for Danny to choose where they sat. He swallowed nervously and walked over to a booth near the corner. "So what do you think?"_

_Mac looked around, taking in the fact it seemed like an everyday bar and lacked the distasteful things he had never lacked. "It's not bad. A little loud, but not bad."_

_A grin snaked across the younger man's features. "And in Mac speak, a 'not bad' is quite the compliment." Danny laughed softly and prayed that Mac could still take a joke._

_A laugh in response reassured him that Mac was still capable of laughing. Still, Danny was pleasantly surprised at the turn of events, basking in the afterglow of his intoxicating laughter. "Yeah, I guess it does. Thanks for inviting me, Danny."_

"_No problem. Now all we need are those beers I promised ya." He waved to an attractive waitress who filled their orders the entire evening. Which resulted in a long conversation about their cases and the oddities of each. Danny nearly threw up from laughing so hard when Mac told him that Aiden had said she was on the toilet. "Oh God… That is _so _Aiden. Damn, I wish I could have heard that."_

_Mac chuckled with him and sipped casually at his third beer. "Yeah, you woulda liked to work this case with her. I swear, she seemed so into this 'Grand Master' world. I even compared her to Queen Latifah at one point."_

_Danny couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing, and tears started rolling down his eyes. Mac feigned anger. "Just _why _is it so hard for people to get into their heads that I can know something about pop culture?" But Danny's laughter was contagious, and pretty soon, they were attracting glares from other patrons._

_And so went the night. Mac seemed to be glad to have someone to just talk to, and Danny was soaking up this fresh side of Mac like a sponge. And before he could protest, Mac had sipped one too many beers and was swaying unconsciously. "Fuck, Mac. I need to get you outta here."_

"_No complaints here, Danny." Danny slapped the appropriate amount of cash on the table and helped Mac out of the booth, much to his protest. They made it to the door when Mac seemed to stiffen. "Wait… Wait, a minute."_

_"What's wrong, Mac? You left something?" Mac just shook his head and gave him an annoyed wave. He seemed to be straining to hear something, so Danny listened too. And finally, he heard it. And at first, he laughed. "Country, boss?"_

_But then, he experienced foot-in-mouth syndrome when the words began to blare over the speakers. _

_Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day_

_"Oh, fuck… Come on, Mac. Let's go." He tugged at Mac's unrelenting arm and managed to drag him out into the street. Danny gave him a quick once over but couldn't get Mac to look at him. He continued to stare longingly at the door, his eyes beginning to shine. _What New York bar plays _that _song? Goddamn assholes…

Danny sighed and laid down onto his makeshift bed, trying to get comfortable in the new surroundings. If he listened hard enough, he thought he could hear Mac rustling around on his sheets and snoring lightly. He smiled softly and felt his eyes droop.

But his brain was still buzzing, and for some sickening reason and without warning, he remembered the day. _The_ day.

_Danny walked into work like normal and went about business as normal. He was relatively new at what he did and didn't want to be the one who brought the others down, so he plunged into work that day._

_At least, until a screaming technician ran by saying the towers had been hit. That had been enough to get Danny to a window to see for himself. And he saw the flames and the smoke. His stomach churned in nausea, and he was forced to look away._

_And when he did, someone slammed into him and continued on without stopping to apologize. When Danny looked to see who it was, he realized with horror that it was Mac. He saw him dash to the elevator and claw frantically at the buttons. He debated whether or not to go talk to him, but the doors opened and cut off his chances. Mac got on quickly and slapped the Door Close button quickly._

_But not before Danny got a look at his face. It was contorted into a look of disbelief and anguish melded into one. Yet, the look that gave Danny the most anxiety was the unusual look of terror on his boss's face._

The couch yielded to him, as Danny rolled over to face the cushions. He clenched the sheets tightly and wished he could stop thinking about Mac's pain about Claire. But somehow, Danny knew that everything Mac did was associated with her. He knew a person couldn't get to know Mac without getting to know the fact he suffered daily.

And it bothered him that he still had to suffer. A part of him wanted to ease that pain, but another laughed in his face because it was an impossible task, a Herculean task. One that would certainly not rest within the hands of Daniel Messer.

But as Danny felt sleep settle into him, he vowed to make certain that he tried. Because there would be no other way to soothe his own unease around Mac.

* * *

A/N continue? I most certainly will, but I just need to figure out where to go from here. I have future chapters planned, but I dunno what all I should do with the next. I have a vague idea, but I want to know if people like it so far to continue. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Yay! Update! But no MacDanny still. Here you have... Oh I'll let you read to see. But the rating is still T, and characters belong to those lucky shitheads at CBS. Bastards. Enjoy!

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The aroma of coffee and eggs tickled Mac's nose as he peeked his head around his kitchen door to see if his guest was still slumbering.

He was, and Mac smiled warmly when he saw Danny grinning complacently into his pillow, all concerns seemingly forgotten in some mysterious dream. For a brief moment, Mac longed to know what it was about and who was in it, but he hastily shoved the thought away. It wasn't his business.

But, he made it his business to creep out to the family room, a task which was easy to an ex-Marine trained for stealth. The metal in his hand threatened to clink intrusively, but he clamped further down on the necklace and note he attached to it.

Mac's eyes found Danny's jacket resting on the arm of the couch, so he padded over and snuck his gift into the nearest pocket. Fleetingly, he cast his eyes upon Danny and was calmed by the breath flitting in and out, causing his chest to rise and fall gently.

And for a second, Mac was unsure as to why he was giving Danny his dog tags. A sigh erupted from Danny's lips, and Mac was somehow reminded why.

He sure as hell didn't need them anymore. It wasn't as if he was about to be called back to duty any time soon. And Mac definitely didn't need _another_ reminder of everything he had lost in his service. He felt a bit ashamed, knowing full well that his service was an honor to perform, but that didn't keep it from hurting. That hurt, he supposed, was something he was trying to unconsciously remove by passing a symbol of it to Danny. Then Mac wondered if that meant he was trying to transfer his pain to Danny.

He shook his head and walked back to the kitchen. That couldn't be it. Mac would never wish ill upon Danny. He liked the kid too much. So maybe that was why he was giving it to him; a token of gratitude for being such a great employee and… friend. A smile toyed with Mac's lips; the concept of being Danny's friend was alluring and enjoyable and something Mac wished he had discovered sooner.

_So is it an apology gift then? A sorry-I-didn't-get-to-know-you-sooner gift?_ Mac growled at his logic, which he deemed to be unreliable this morning for doing something without a good once over. _Too late now…_

Mac tended to the eggs and poured two mugs of coffee. To his, he added his usual, a simple two sugars. To Danny's, he gave a frown and tried to remember if he had ever specified what he liked. He set the mug on the counter and groaned softly. _Damn headache…_

Instinctively, he reached into the cupboard and found aspirin. Taking two out, a noise at his six briefly startled him.

Danny had stumbled into the garbage can. "Mmph… Sorry, boss." He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. "Fuck… Be right back…"

Mac smiled and followed him out with his gaze. The sight of Danny in casual clothing, a tank top nonetheless, exhilarated him. He blushed and mentally scolded himself for thinking such a thing when there was breakfast to be served.

The sleepy CSI returned with his glasses, still disheveled. "Smells _amazing_, boss." He walked over to Mac and took the mug he offered. "Thanks."

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Mac smiled when he said it, which made him realize cynically that he'd been doing more smiling this morning than he'd had in a long time. And he didn't even know why.

Danny was in mid-sip during the question, and he raised his eyebrows in slight confusion. He detached himself from his drink and exhaled complacently. "What, 'boss?'" He couldn't help but return the smile, glad to see Mac was so friendly this morning.

A chuckle met Danny's ears. Mac felt his cheeks burn, and all he could manage was, "Yeah…" _What is _wrong _with me?_

But Danny saved him from his self-degrading torment. "Damn! You make some strong coffee!"

"Sorry," Mac mumbled.

Frowning, Danny took another sip, as if to clarify he didn't mean it the way he sounded. But when Mac continued to look upset, he spoke up. "Mac, I _like _it that way. Don't look so upset, alright? You still drunk or something?" He grinned, meaning the last bit in a joking way, even if his heart didn't want Mac to be upset either way.

_Or something._ Mac gave him a half-hearted smile. "Must be the alcohol still talking, I guess." There was an awkward silence until Mac was reminded of his objective. "Oh, yeah! Did you want breakfast? I made eggs…"

There was a pleading quality in his voice, much like when he asked Danny to stay. Danny bit his lip and looked at the clock. "Don't we gotta be at work?"

Mac laughed, much to his surprise. "It's our day off, remember? I thought _I_ was the one who got wasted!"

Blue eyes met green in amusement, and they shared their laughter. Danny shivered and thought about it for a second. "Yeah, breakfast sounds great. It'd be nice to have a home cooked meal for once, instead of Chinese takeout…" He chuckled darkly, thinking of how alone he was when he was sitting by himself in the interiors of his own apartment, watching NYPD Blue reruns and wishing he could be at the lab doing what he loved and being with the people who made his life brighter.

Mac detected the bitterness and decided to keep quiet about it, for now. But he ached to know why it was there and if there was a possible way for him to help. Yet, he knew he couldn't voice any of that without coming across as overtly inquisitive.

And Danny was glad Mac didn't say anything, grabbing a plate from the counter and helping Mac to set the table in silence.

That was how it was until both were seated at the table. Mac sighed and looked out his window. "How much you wanna bet the team gets called in?" Danny had asked the question in hopes of stirring Mac into a conversation like they had the night before, the fun one. Mac turned back to him and raised an eyebrow. "Just saying, it's a relatively nice day, and people are out on nice days."

"Danny, your logic confuses me at times." A faint smile tempted Danny into a comeback but Mac continued. "But, yes, it is possible. But as selfish as it sounds, I wouldn't want that." Danny gave him a blank stare as a cue to explain himself. Bashfully, and what he hoped was comically, he stated, "Because that would ruin our breakfast."

Danny laughed and internally felt his insides bubble, as if he had drunk champagne, at the word "our." He took another bite and remembered his manners. "Mac, this is great, just so ya know. Thanks… for everything. Giving me a place to crash, breakfast, showing me a great time yesterday…"

"I thought _you_ were showing _me _a great time." His smile returned, but inside, Mac was feeling increasingly anxious as to why Danny was having this effect upon him. It was as if last night at the bar had never happened. Well, it was as if the song at the bar had never happened.

His companion's blue eyes twinkled but looked downwards at the table. "Right…" Mac heard Danny inhale, and he waited in bated silence for Danny to say something because he was losing his own nerve in his anticipation. "Hey, Mac."

"Hmm?" Mac pretended to be absorbed in his eggs, but his attention was solely upon Danny, who was now shifting nervously in his seat.

"I… I'm sorry about what happened last night, and if it makes you feel any better, the next time we go to drink, we can go to Sullivan's if you want." He bit his lip nervously and looked back up at Mac, his blue eyes cloudy and concerned.

Mac sighed. "Danny, nothing that happened last night was your fault. I had a nice time, but if it makes you feel any better, we can go to Sullivan's the next time." But Mac knew in his heart that he was relieved not to go back there; the song would be forever connected with the bar. And he knew that if he went there, trying to lose himself with Danny, the memories would taint the moment. He didn't want that.

"Really?" Danny's excitement was evident, even if it was minimal. Mac wondered why Danny was trying to contain it, but the thought fluttered away.

He let the smile come back, for it was too late in the morning to stop now. "Yeah, Danny, it's a… It's a plan." Mac mentally kicked himself for almost repeating the word "date," and he's pretty sure that Danny doesn't want to think of what they do as a date.

Danny gives him a wide smile, and once again, Mac tried to think if he might actually want like that idea. _No, _no. _Stop thinking like that._ His employee blinked a few times and looked back to his plate, which he realized was empty. "I guess I was hungrier than I thought." He chuckled and got up to put his plate in the sink.

Mac instantly shot up and stole the plate from him. Danny shot him a look of confusion, which was increased in breadth when Mac pointed him back to his seat. "You're a guest, Danny. You shouldn't have to clean up."

"Yeah, but I want to." Danny looked over at Mac's plate, which had been cleared for a few minutes already, but the person it belonged to was too busy listening to clean it up. Danny quickly nabbed it and walked towards Mac.

The latter tried to snatch it, but Danny danced around him and put it in the sink before he could protest. Mac began to laugh as the water was turned on and the plate he had stolen was taken back and slipped under the stream. "You're really determined, aren't you?"

He stood beside Danny for a second and thought about shoving him out of the way, but Mac started when he realized what he was doing. What they were doing.

They were _flirting._

A blush flew to his cheeks, as the smile crept back. Mac knew it wasn't such a bad thing; he hadn't felt this at ease with someone since… Well, he knew when. But it didn't stop him from stepping away because he was still nervous.

"Umm… Well, since you're so adamant about doing the dishes, I'll let you do that while I clean up the living room. Okay?"

A smirk played across Danny's face. "I knew I'd win." He chuckled and continued washing the plates as Mac walked out into the living room.

Mac glanced around and was glad to find his breathing was almost back to its normal beat, rather than the arrhythmic one it had adopted when he came to that startling realization. He hastily picked up the sheets and dumped them near his washing machine. He then grabbed for the pillows and walked towards the closet.

Then, he stopped.

_Oh shit… _Mac inhaled deeply and tried to gain his bearings, but the sight of the closet was taunting him. He felt faint, but his hand bravely reached for the doorknob and turned it.

The darkness of the closet frightened Mac because he knew what lay hidden in the shadows. He rarely, if ever, used this closet, so that was why he had put the beach ball there. But there it was, winking at him from the top of the closet.

Mac took a step back and scolded himself for the cowardice. He gritted his teeth and was about to just do it when a hand at his shoulder pulled him away.

"Hey, let me put those away, alright?" Danny's blue eyes pierced his, and Mac, in that instant, realized that he knew. Whether it was by intuition or seeing the beach ball itself branded with her initial, Danny understood and was willing to help Mac.

Still, he felt ashamed and let Danny take the pillows from him in silence. Mac didn't turn back until he heard the door click shut, and it was then that he looked back at Danny with sad eyes.

"Mac, it's okay, alright? You don't need to go through this alone, okay? I got your back, remember?" He heard Danny's voice rise with concern, but he tried to shut it out, shut Danny out, shut everything out.

"Right." He walked slowly back to the kitchen and hugged his arms, shivering from the residual panic. Mac didn't even look to see if Danny was following.

And he wasn't. Danny was standing beside the couch, jacket in hand. His eyes were downcast, for he knew his mission was a long one and one that would take a long time. If he wanted Mac to finally be healed and open up, he had to know when to let him alone.

And now was this time, as he watched Mac sit at the table with his back to him, sipping the last remnants of the coffee. "Hey, Mac…"

Mac tilted his head back and saw Danny out of the corner of his eye. He felt bad, but right now, he really wanted to be alone. So when he saw the coat in his hands, he forgot entirely of putting the dog tags in there and was relieved. Mac would always be grateful to Danny for the last few hours, but there was nothing to be done to mend his stubborn heart.

Or so he thought. "I'm gonna bounce, alright? I just remembered I have to get that physical for the department, the one you said we all needed to get within the month?"

"Okay, Danny." Mac didn't mention that he knew Danny had already gotten it, due to the report on his desk. He just sighed and took another sip of his coffee.

Danny gave him one last glance and walked to the door. "See you Monday, Mac. Thanks for everything."

Then he was gone.

The coffee cup was set on the table, and Mac's hands rose to cradle his head as the tears, the ones that had not fallen since the anniversary of that day, fell obstinately into the cold coffee. And Mac felt just as cold.

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A/N Yess I did do angst, and I know some of you are gonna kill me for leaving it like that, but the next chapter will be Danny's discovery of the dog tags and maybe another outing. But augh I need to type it up, and these damn plot bunnies for the movie Sahara won't leave me the hell alone! Oh yeah, and I signed up for delgaserasca's ficathon at LJ and got a prompt, so expect that some time soon, as well. Hoo boy. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Okay, Danny finds the dog tags in this chappy, and Mac somewhat discovers his feelings. I think we can all assume that Danny unconsciously has already figured out his feelings at this point. I dunno. I'll let you be the judge. Rating is still T for language and characters belong to CSI:NY and CBS. Bastards.

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Days went by before Danny found the dog tags, after wearing the jacket to work only once again that week. 

He had walked into the AV lab and thought about that morning, as he had been doing for the past few days. Mac hadn't tried to discuss the events, and Danny hadn't tried to make him. Things seemed to be settling back into the way things were before they went to the bar, and that unsettled Danny.

And in these thoughts, Danny heard the sound of metal clinking together. He looked down, thinking his dog tags were outside his shirt. But they weren't. Frowning, Danny took a step forward and heard it again.

"What the...?" He began to fish around his pockets: pants pockets, shirt pockets, and finally, jacket pockets. His fingers lighted upon a chain, so he pulled it out curiously. Danny's eyes widened when he realized that it was a set of dog tags. Aching to know whose, he held them closer to his eyes.

"Oh fuck." The name on the tags read "Taylor, Mac." Danny bit his lip and stared at it again. "What the hell? How did I get these?" He began to worry that he must have done it absently or when asleep, but he wasn't exactly a regular somnambulist.

The metal felt warm in his hands, and Danny blushed when he realized that Mac must have given them to him. Mac gave him a piece of himself, and that floored Danny. His mind was reeling as he tried to see if there was anything else.

There was. Crumpled at the bottom of his pocket was a sticky-note that had the scrawl Danny knew too well from reports. It scratched out, "Keep them. I'll explain later."

Danny mouthed the words absently and inhaled deeply. He curled his fingers around the chain and looked around in confusion. _Why can't you tell me now? What would make you give me this, Mac?_

But when he had looked around, his eyes danced upon a figure in the adjacent lab, staring at him.

Mac.

The younger CSI felt his stomach tighten as he stepped closer to the glass, dog tags held up slightly so Mac could see them. Mac did, and he smiled enigmatically, therefore confusing Danny even more.

He shrugged his shoulders and attempted to get across the point of why without actually walking the few feet it took to get the other lab and physically converse. But Danny was too unsure and nervous of what Mac was getting at to do that.

His boss grinned again, making him wonder if he was feeling emotionally better after the upset with the closet. Mac picked up a sticky pad close to him and pointed at Danny with his other hand. His intention was clear, making Danny groan and lower his hands in frustration.

He watched Mac smile again and turn to look in the microscope, so the "conversation" was evidently over. Danny turned away from the glass and looked at the dog tags one more time.

A happy smile skated across is face, but Danny squelched it before Mac could see it. The dog tags were carefully guided back into his jacket pocket, as with the note, which he smoothed out neatly. He stole one last look at Mac before he went over to the computer and went on working.

Mac had watched all of this from the corner of his eye, and he felt a blush creeping to his cheeks when he saw how careful Danny was with his… Well, they weren't his anymore. Still, he felt somehow exhilarated.

The specimen in front of his eyes seemed to wiggle, so Mac rubbed his eyes wearily, knowing that he needed to get some sleep this week. But the sight of that beach ball would flash in his mind every time his eyes closed, and before he could stop it, he would begin to have dreams of the plane crashing into the side of the building.

_Stop. Work. Just work right now._ That's what he had been telling himself when he saw Danny enter the AV lab. Mac would have waved, but he decided that wouldn't seem professional. But he couldn't help but grin when he saw Danny pull the dog tags out and gawk at them.

Mac knew the exact moment when Danny realized they were his because his face stretched into an expression of shock and then subdued happiness. To have been the one to make Danny happy heartened Mac, and he couldn't understand why.

Their ensuing "talk" amused Mac, and Danny's feigned frustration only made him feel giddier. _Why?_

And now he was trying not to walk over to the other lab and explain, but Mac knew he couldn't do that. Not just yet. So he forced himself to look back at his work and continue.

Danny was more than glad when the end of the day came around, and cases were starting to mesh into completion. He shrugged his coat on and instinctively reached into the pocket, feeling relieved when cold metal danced through his fingers.

Looking to the glass fishbowl of an office that Mac had been graced with, he noticed the light was on. _Again…_

Danny made a beeline for his boss, steeling himself to not bug Mac again for answers to the question he had already asked that day, knowing too well that it would just serve to piss Mac off.

His boss was facing away from Danny, looking forlornly at the pictures of himself in the Marines, humming absentmindedly some tune Danny couldn't recognize. The younger CSI felt almost guilty as he rapped lightly against the doorframe. "Hey, Mac?"

The chair creaked loudly when Mac whirled around to face him, his face in apparent surprise. "Danny. What can I do for you?"

A nervous chuckle escaped Danny's unrelenting throat. "You… You wanna go get a drink tonight again?" He bit his tongue anxiously, fiddling with the chain in his pocket hopefully.

Mac felt heat rise to his face for the second time that day, and he was starting to make a connection from his unusual reactions to Danny. _But why?_ His fingers wrestled with the others, but he kept his voice clear. "Sure, Danny. I'd like that." Danny straightened and smiled warmly, but Mac interrupted him before he could say anything. "But don't even think about getting me drunk enough to tell you about _that_. Like I said, 'I'll explain later.' At my own discretion." _So maybe by then, I'll have a reason myself._

Laughter rang in his ears as Danny patted his back fondly. "Wasn't gonna." Mac raised an eyebrow amusedly. "I _swear_!" Mac just laughed with him and started walking towards the exit. "So… Are we going to Sullivan's?" Danny remembered what Mac had asked and even though he was pretty sure of what Mac would say, he asked, just to be one-hundred and ten percent sure.

Mac frowned internally, thinking of the song, but he smiled for Danny. "Yeah, that'd be great, Danny."

The conversation halted and made way for the wide breadth of silence, which graced them with its presence all the way to the bar. Danny was just about to say something when Mac gripped the steering wheel tightly and made a sharp turn, his face distant, so Danny changed his mind and kept silent until he saw the familiar neon lights blinking in front of him.

"Ahh, home away from home." He joked, but when Mac didn't speak or react, he felt unnerved. They walked inside and let the smell of beer and New York waft over them. Mac tugged subconsciously at his tie and walked to an empty table, not looking to see if Danny followed. Danny watched him from behind, noting that he didn't seem to be uptight or like his normal self.

Which made the silence all that more confusing. He sat himself opposite Mac and bit his lip. Finally, Danny just spoke up with guarded anticipation. "What's eating at you, Mac?"

Mac's eyes wandered up to him at the sound of his voice, and he inhaled. "I… I just was…" He floundered, not wanting to really tell what was wrong. "I was just trying to decide whether I wanted Guinness or Budweiser, that's all." He feigned a cheeky grin, but blue eyes glinted at him with concern. Mac turned, trying to avoid those eyes, which seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "It's _nothing_, Danny."

But it wasn't _nothing_. _It_ was everything. _It_ was the reason for his blushing, his smiling, and his relative ease around Danny. Even now, when he felt scared and afraid at what he had determined, he felt relaxed. All because of _it._

His goddamn feelings.

Mac heard Danny sigh and mutter, "Fine," only to speak mournfully when placing his order. Mac tried to catch Danny's eye and cheer him up, but he refused to be consoled. The older detective was on his last nerve, refusing to be given the silent treatment by Danny, when Danny spoke.

"You know, when I said I had your back, that meant I'm open to listening to what you gotta say. If there's something bugging you… Or whatever. I'm not trying to pry; I just thought I outta clarify that to you." Danny tried his best to look angry, but all he could manage was the upset pouting look. And that pissed him off because now Mac was gonna think of him as some whiny kid. _And that just fucks up everything._

Mac groaned softly and rubbed at his temples. "Danny…" He looked over to see if Danny was looking, but he was staring purposefully at the bar taps. "Danny," he said sharply to ensure that the blue eyes that scared him so much were tuned into him. "I'm flattered. Really, I am. But you don't wanna listen to the ramblings of someone with nothing important to say, do you?" Something inside of Mac hoped that he'd say yes, but the side of Mac that wanted to avoid complications fervently wished against it.

"Yeah, I do, Mac." The blue eyes wavered, but the expression within them was steadfast.

Mac shivered and mumbled, "You do…" He swallowed nervously and was glad when the waitress suddenly appeared with their drinks. He gratefully took a sip of beer and knew that the blue eyes followed him expectantly. Mac sighed and placed the glass back on the table. "Look, Danny. You came here to have fun; I came here to have fun. I don't think either of us feel that arguing about this is fun, so why don't we both relax and enjoy the evening, okay?"

Danny felt his throat tighten, but he nodded. Mac gave him a weak smile and tried to encourage him. "Hey, how about this? When I tell you about those dog tags, I'll tell you anything you want. Okay?" Mac felt antsy to ensure Danny's happiness, and the reasons were somehow loosely attaching themselves to his theory.

His employee smiled back, a bit too wide to be entirely genuine. But Danny was far too mad at himself for his childish behavior to be as happy as he was when Mac agreed to go with him. He took a long sip of his beer, vowing to attempt to go with Mac's wishes.

But Danny also wanted to numb the increasing tension in his stomach that had built ever since that night in the bar, and he knew that Mac had everything to do with it. This unsettling concern and tension had everything to do with the man before him, the one who sat patiently in his chair, guarding his pain and secrets like his prized possessions.

_However… _Danny had stuck his hand into his pocket absently and was reminded instantly of the dog tags. Mac's dog tags. He fingered them affectionately as he began to hold inane conversations with Mac, all of which had nothing to do with what he wanted them to talk about. _However..._ The metal was burning in between his fingers.

_Mac did already give me one of his prized possessions…_

* * *

A/N Oooh wadja think? I really like Mac in this story for some reason, as opposed to Mac in myother stories. But of course, no Mac is as good as the real thing, played by the seeeeeexxxxxxy Gary Sinise. Okay, I'm gonna stop the Sinise pimpage and voice a concern. I just realized that the DVDs put the shows in order of _airdates_, so Grand Master is followed by A Man a Mile. That's perfect for my story, _but_ the actual episode number of GM is 105 and AMAM is 102. Sooo if no one has any objections, I'm gonna stick with airdates so not to mess up my plot line. But if someone protests, I have another idea. So what do you think? 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Ok, nobody protested, so I went ahead and made this chap about A Man A Mile. This chapter is more about the episode and their argument, so nothing much about their time at the bar. Buuut I still enjoyed writing this part because it's angsty. And I like this story's angst for some reason. Still T and characters still belong to the lucky shits at CBS. EDIT: I forgot to add this: Dybdahl, I added a bit just for you. The arm touching bit? The Mac blushing? For you, in this very chapter! _

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_

The weekend passed uneventfully after the awkward night at the bar. Danny and Mac parted ways after midnight and saw each other at the lab occasionally, platonically greeting each other or asking about the other's case, but neither mentioned or acted upon the unresolved tension from that night.

Until a few days later. A few days later when they received word of a body in a construction site. Mac chose Danny as his partner and went out to the site. Both knew something was suspicious, and the heat from the DA's office about hurrying the case up to get construction going didn't help either.

It seemed to be a normal case, but the brother's behavior was eating away at Danny. Combine that with the fact he was working directly with Mac, he was feeling increasingly itchy. Something was off. As they ran trace, Danny couldn't hold it in anymore. "Brother's got something to say." _As do I._

The younger CSI didn't even have to look up to see Mac sigh. "Based on?"

Mac's eyes may have been looking away at something, but they seemed to bore into Danny like drills. He inhaled and tried to explain the feeling. "I can just tell he knows something. Why not have Flack bring him in?" Danny felt stupid as soon as the words left him because he knew the answer.

His boss didn't even look up. But Mac did try to offer some words of comfort. "Danny, your intuition is great…"

Danny could almost laugh at how easy it was to fill in the blanks. "But see what the evidence has to say first, right?" He looked over at Mac and was nervous to see if Mac was angry at his earlier leap to a conclusion.

He didn't seem to be; in fact, there was a faint smile on his lips that Danny caught as he replied, "Right." Both worked silently until Danny found blood on one worker's boots.

The rest of the case flowed along. Well, flow was too nice of a word in Danny's opinion because for some reason, something was just off. Walking back to Mac's office, he listened attentively to what Mac had to say, even if he wasn't exactly sure if he agreed with it. As he did so, he noticed how tense Mac was around him, so maybe it was just himself being the one to fog things up.

Mac knocked him out of his funk when he continued, "The Sandhogs are a father-son, brother-brother union. Once you're in, you're in." He gave a grimace and directed it to Danny, and that confused Danny.

_Is he trying to piss me off?_ The words rolled off Danny's tongue, cynical and embittered. "So it's easy to kill them?"

It was a stupid mistake, for Mac's eyes narrowed, but his tone stayed the same, even when he started talking about the Marines. "These guys are a lot like the Marines. You work in a dangerous environment on a day to day basis. You form a… a bond that's based on experience. He was one of them, and in their world, the group takes precedence over the individual."

Danny wanted to scoff that if Mac's Marines were so much like the Sandhogs, then how come none of them ended up dead? But that wouldn't do any good for the tension. But that didn't stop him from firing another one off at Mac. "Yeah, the group got together and decided to take precedence over Pete Riggs."

Mac seemed to balk at first, staring in near disbelief at Danny. But it submerged and gave way to self-defensive anger. "We have pieces of evidence. There's nothing conclusive yet."

The windows of Mac's office glared at Danny, much in the same way that Mac was. Rage bubbled up within Danny's chest. _How can he not understand?_ Almost muttering, he said defiantly, "Well, if the evidence isn't talking, we gotta fill in the blanks somehow. And Joe Riggs is gonna wake up one day and realize he's short a brother. In my world, a guy's got to protect himself and his family. I mean, who'd you back? Your brother, or some _union_?" It was a personal insult to Mac's involvement with the Marines, and Danny almost felt bad for saying it as he stalked off away from Mac.

But Mac caught up with him, as he always managed to do so, and it was apparent that Mac still wanted to fight this argument. "Change your mind about the brother?"

The blonde sighed, feeling weary from this pointless argument. "Trying to find a way to get there. This guy got inhaler on him; this guy bit Al McGrath, who has the victim's blood on his boot." He looked down, anywhere if to avoid those piercing and accusatory eyes.

Mac still seemed standoffish. "Pieces of evidence."

The hair on the back of Danny's neck stood, and the anger he had tried to hold down began to resurface. "Yeah, you made that very clear. I just don't see your _point_."

Mac smiled at him enigmatically and spoke softly. "My point is you're not seeing the connection. It's what we all look for." It was almost as if he were a teacher or a parent.

And that pissed Danny off. He didn't want Mac to goad him through something or act like a parent. Not… not after how close they'd grown as friends or after Danny discovered how he really felt. His voice came out desperate, trying to get the point across to Mac. "Hey, but don't you ever just feel it?"

The smile returned. "All the time. But I don't act on it until I can prove something." Danny looked at his eyes and noticed that the smile didn't reach them; the eyes still seemed regretfully hostile, so he looked down.

Danny let himself draw in a shaky breath and shook his head once. "I can't do this job your way." He honestly felt that he couldn't and that meant he was going to let Mac down.

And as sure as clockwork, Mac was acting pissed. "Well, you can't do it yours either." Danny looked up at him warily. The anger in Mac's eyes had flared but blanched at the sight of Danny looking at them. Mac inhaled and continued, "You're coming up on your three years. That means you'll be taking the exam to bump you up to second grade. When I put you lead on a case, I want to make sure you're bringing me evidence, not _intuition_." He tried to sound vehement and like a boss, but the sight of Danny cringing made him feel like he took the edge off, so Mac hoped that Danny would get the point.

The green eyes flashed at Danny, so he looked away even if he realized now that Mac hadn't been mad at him that day on a personal level. _This is about my work… _He slowly acquiesced and turned back to face Mac. "Alright. What's our next move?"

A smile rolled across Mac's face as he told Danny what they would do next. Throughout the case's closure, Danny couldn't help but feel that Mac wasn't just mad about his handling of the case as he had Danny believe. He walked into the office that was growing increasingly familiar to instigate the situation that was also growing increasingly familiar.

A pair of green eyes met his and seemed to dance in the incandescent light. "Hey, Danny. Good job today."

Bitter chuckles escaped Danny's throat, and Mac looked at him confusedly. "Come on, Mac. You know I fucked up and was just being an argumentative ass the whole day…" He looked at his feet apologetically.

Mac was surprised that Danny brought himself to apologizing; it was a welcome, if not somewhat upsetting, sight. "Danny, listen. You turned out to be spot on with the brother." Mac felt something within his heart warm when Danny smiled faintly at that. "It's just… It's just I want you to be able to work a case the way that will guarantee a _closed_ case. And that means intuition can only do so much next to facts and evidence." Danny chewed his lip thoughtfully, so Mac knew he was thinking about it.

"Alright, Mac. I… I get your point. Sorry about the way I acted on this case…" He turned to walk out, getting the vibe that Mac wanted the conversation to end there. _What did I expect? "Hey, Danny! Even if you blatantly argued with me, I still wanna go out for a drink!"? Stupid…_ His foot reached the first step when a hand fell on his arm.

Danny looked at it and saw that it was Mac's. The ring shone dully as the fingers clutched gently at the fabric of his shirt. Danny turned around and saw Mac's face smiling nervously at him. "Umm, Danny? I was wondering if you wanted to go to Sullivan's with me tonight. That is if you're not busy or upset with me…" Mac scolded himself inwardly for the whiny way he sounded and removed his hand from Danny's arm.

Both men secretly mourned the loss of that contact, but Danny was the first to grin. "Of course I'm not mad at you, bossman." He walked down the stairs and waited for Mac to get his coat, looking hopefully at Mac's receding form. Danny knew that somehow, against all odds and against their stupid tempers, they were bonding. Bonding enough to get past arguments. It amazed him and frightened him as Mac came gliding down the steps towards him, smiling eagerly.

It frightened him because the closer he got to Mac, the more unsure about Mac he became. At first, he was this stoic entity, this "boss man." And after that first night, he was becoming this friendly, surprisingly funny acquaintance. Which slowly blossomed into a friend overnight, complicating the way Danny handled himself around Mac and making him _unsure_ if he was talking to his boss or his friend.

His feigned smile was one he hoped todisguise his inner turmoil, but when Mac smiled back at Danny, forgetting all the events of that day so as to spend the evening with a friend, Danny couldn't help but blush. Because his amazement… his fear… They were nothing compared to his attraction for the man blushing back at him from the seat next to him on the subway, letting his hand fall gently on Danny's arm for the second time that evening.

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A/N I know, I know. It's shorter. But I DO know what I'm doing next chapter! It's based on Outside Man, and Mac gives Danny a surprise. But no, they won't get together. Sorry, not yet. Not til... Oh wait, I better not say. Ok I'll stop being mean and just tell ya I'm planning it for after the Tanglewood ep. SHIT that's like 6 or 7 episodes from Outside Man! (beats head on keyboard) Wait, wait. I may have an idea for after Night, Mother. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Ooooh okay so here's the Outside Man chapter! Rating is still T, characters still don't belong to me, but I am back from vacation! I've been since Tues, but this demanded to be typed lol! So have fun!

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The evening turned out to be uneventful, in comparison to the others. Mac and Danny talked, drank, laughed, and acted like pretty much everyone else in the bar, fading into the background as easily as a chameleon. 

But the night was anything but faded to the two men who could actually _feel_ the emotions coursing through their veins, prompted on by every look, sound, and touch the other gave. And surprisingly enough, both were clued into how often they _did _touch each other. Whether it was Mac's hand on Danny's arm as in the subway or a soft pat on the back that lingered longer than it should have, there was touching. And both were exhilarated by it, but the night was ended by the enemy known as Time.

But Time couldn't stop memories, lest the person be coming up on Alzheimer's or dissociative amnesia. Mac blinked and wondered why the hell he was going through mental disorders after having been wading through the memories of a couple nights before.

Lights flashed before his eyes, and it took a second for Mac to realize that they were the lights of another police car. _How'd I get here so fast?_ The diner loomed ahead of him, so he stepped out of the car. _Multiple DOAs. What a nightmare…_

The world seemed to slow as his feet pounded on the asphalt, as the sight of someone being carted off in an ambulance also produced the sight of Danny. Danny yelling at the EMS to make sure they get evidence and keep it safe.

Mac smiled when Danny started waving gloves at them. _Maybe…_ He cleared his throat and stepped inside, already seeing it dissolve into a picture of forensic squiggles and things to be done. Danny was behind him, looking around. He started vocalizing his preliminary assessment, and Mac felt his throat tighten. _Maybe he is ready_.

Aiden, Mac, and Danny continued their preliminary assessments and finally made it back around the counter, and Mac started snapping his gloves off. Aiden was the first to notice, followed by those wonderful baby blues that were starting to make Mac nervous, in a good way.

He cleared his throat and spoke, trying not to look at the eyes that threatened to make him blush. "You guys are catching this one. Danny, you're in charge." After having hung out with Danny for a few times, he could tell that Danny's body language had sharpened. Aiden shot Danny a look, so Mac tried to force down a grin. "With three years in, promotion to second grade doesn't come easy. Downstairs, upstairs, and the perimeter. There's a big dumpster out back. You get into a jam, you call me. 24/7. Keep me posted." His voice sounded almost eager, as if he wanted them to call him.

_No. I want Danny to get ahead._ He walked out of the café without looking back when it hit him. _Oh shit… I'm not doing this because I like Danny, am I?_ Mac's eyes snapped back towards the café, but Aiden and Danny had already disappeared, probably to the basement. _No because this is a break for Aiden, too._

_Yeah, but she's not gonna be the one that takes the fall for the case, whether things go good or bad. _Mac grit his teeth and climbed laboriously back into his car, hearing a call go out on the radio about a limb in a dumpster. _More work…_

He sighed and turned the key in the ignition, almost sad to hear the engine roar to life. And even as he sped off to the site, Mac quickly immersed himself in this new case, trying to ignore his anticipation about Danny. He had his own work to do.

But that didn't stop him from checking his phone, pager, and e-mails more often than usual. Not even when Stella and he found the DOA who the leg belonged to or when they figured out who killed the poor confused guy.

Mac bit his lip and walked into his office, all ready to do paperwork for the case when he caught sight of a file lingering on the edge of his desk. _Oh my God…_ His fingertips tingled when he opened it, and he almost felt nauseous as he opened.

His heart didn't slow until he had read every word written in Danny's messy scrawl. _Thank God._ A smile actually crept to his face, glad to be out in the open at the success. At Danny's success. Mac knew what he had to do, but another file protruded curiously from under another.

Mac's eyes widened, remembering that he had forgotten to give it to Danny. Give Danny the one file that may bring closure to him. _Oh crap… Well, that'll be two good things Danny gets to hear tonight._

He grabbed his jacket and put it on, and for a second, he imagined to be armor. Armor that could protect him from the social discomfort of flirting. But then, Mac frowned, dissuading himself that he actually liked doing that with Danny.

There was a light glaring from one of the labs, and Mac could make out a figure sitting at the table.

Danny.

His arms were folded, and his eyes seemed to looking through the table. Nervously, Mac walked in, but Danny didn't look up. He didn't know how to feel, so he turned and looked around at the window of the café, reassembled neatly and obviously dusted for prints.

He turned again and saw the model of the café, and a smile forced its way upon his face. But, for purposes of acting like the boss, he decreased its breadth and cleared his throat lightly. ": I read your preliminary report. Good job, Danny."

Danny didn't answer, but Mac rushed onwards, the smile refusing to be contained and bursting out openly. "You're on the promotion grid."

His protégé still refused to act upon the words, so Mac worried vaguely if Danny didn't care. Indignant, his heart refused to believe that. They were talking about the very subject the last time at the bar, and Danny was over the moon about the possibility of being on the promotion grid. But Danny's eyes had already snapped back down to the pictures in front of him. He heard a ragged inhale as Danny started speaking.

"I can't wrap my head around it, Mac. You know, you get up, go to work, see the people that you know, you talk, you laugh, you're living your life." As Danny spoke, he saw flashes of Claire working, and he tried to force it down. "And then suddenly, boom. It's just over. Just like that. And you never even saw it coming." The images flood Mac's mind at the words, and he can feel his heart begin to pound at a frightening rate.

He clenched his fist and forced himself to see what was in front of him. Suddenly, Danny was very clear to him, looking more depressed than he's seen in a long time. Mac felt disheartened by the sight, knowing that death was such a heavy subject, even for someone as stoic as he or as seemingly tough as Danny. Because neither were stoic nor tough, not on the inside, where it mattered. There, they were raw individuals, bleeding openly from every piece of glass that sliced through them, glass from a shattered visage of a dangerous world.

Mac looked at the floor, trying to dredge up words of comfort. "Umm… Danny, listen… There's just one absolute in this job and that's that people get hurt. And… And if you need to talk…" Danny's eyes darted upwards at him and made it hard for Mac to finish. "I'm here to listen."

A minute smile danced across Danny's face, but the eyes remained expressionless. "Thanks, Mac…"

Every fiber in Mac's being yearned to smash through the mirror that was reflecting himself in Danny's eyes. Because there was no way in _hell_ that Mac could sit by and watch another version of himself be born in the one person who had so much _life._ His voice felt unnatural as he said, "No problem… But…" He felt Danny's gaze on him again, so he balked ever so slightly. "But… I have something I need to show you, if you have the time."

"Sure, Mac." Danny started to stand, and his voice dropped. "I'm just glad to have something to get my mind off…" _All those dead bodies…_ Mac's mind finished the sentiment, even when Danny's voice tapered off.

The lab and halls remained silent, as the two wraithlike men ghosted back to Mac's office. Both were silent as they seated themselves across each other and as Mac reached out to push the file at Danny. The younger CSI stared quizzically at Mac for a moment but then let his fingers pick up the file absently. Mac bit his lip and waited impatiently for Danny to open.

When he did, his eyes widened and regained some of their vivacity, making Mac extremely glad he waited to give him the file so as to work him out of the funk he had built because of the case. Danny's voice began to waver as he read. "John Lucas Messer… Mac, how did you…?" His eyes trail upward to Mac, so the older CSI felt a blush tinge his cheek. He smiled in an attempt to prompt Danny on.

The smile meandered across Danny's face, as well, and the two shared a brief moment before Danny looked back down and read pieces aloud. "John Lucas Messer. Served in World War Two at the battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Served in the Korean Warat the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Mac… I… I don't know what to say." He looked back up at Mac in amazement. "How? How did you find all of this?"

The grin returned, as well as the warmth that seemed to spread throughout his body, much in the way alcohol does. But Mac clawed at the right wording. He didn't want to make it sound too difficult and appear obsessed to please Danny, but he didn't want to make it sound too easy and give off the idea that Danny could have done it himself.

He floundered for a moment and spoke at last. "I took the liberty of reading your file to find out his name, and from there it was just a few e-mails and phone calls." Danny's eyes brightened, but Mac continued. "And it certainly helped that he was a Marine. Did you see that he served in the First Marine Division in Korea?"

Danny's face went slack for a second, and he quickly glanced downwards at the file. "I musta missed it!" He searched for a second until he lighted upon the fact. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled excitedly. He glanced up again and saw Mac staring at him in fascination. Both men flushed, but Danny was the first to gain footing again. "Mac… thank you so much for this… I don't know how I can thank you enough…"

Before Mac could stop himself, the words tumbled out. "You can buy me a beer." _Fuck!_ His voice sounded too hopeful and too friendly, but Danny is intoxicating and the happiness creeping back into his body language is too alluring. Mac felt overjoyed by his presence and the fact that his actions wiped away the sadness.

Danny stood up and held the file in his arms, much like a schoolgirl does to her books. "Anything, Mac. What you've done is…"

Mac interrupted him with a pat on the shoulder. "You've thanked me enough. Now let's go grab that beer." They smiled warmly at each other, feeling more alive and whole than they had in a long while.

Mac wasn't aware of it, but Danny had kept his dog tags in the pockets of whatever he was wearing at the moment, to keep them safe and close to him. And now, as they made the trip to Sullivan's, they were burning a hole through them, much like the ones around his neck were searing his skin.

* * *

A/N Ok what did you think? Next chappy might be their convo at bar or Night, Mother. I'm debating. Cuz if it is Night, Mother, they are gonna kiss. I dunno. Ok, so here's the scoop on Grandpa Messer. Assuming that Danny is prolly 35ish, his dad is 55ish, and his grandpa is 75-80ish. Meaning he was born in 1920s, so he could serve at the end of WW2. Oh and the Marine info I find will be a link at my profile! Thanks for reading! 


	6. Chapter 6

_**UPDATE AS OF 02/08/08:**_

Wow. I feel like crap. Ok, this is why I disappeared off of the face of the earth around June of 2006. My parents found my Livejournal and grounded me for like ever, so I lost track of where I was heading with Dog Tags. I was so afraid they would find this account, so I did not use it at all. In fact, I think it was blocked off of our servers. I went to college last August, and I "rediscovered" my account here. I forgot, however, to give everyone an update. So, today, I thought of one of my stories while listening to a song that semi-inspired it. And here I am. I have been reading everyone's sweet, sweet reviews, and all I can say is thank you and I am so sorry. I doubt Dog Tags will ever get finished. I lost all sense of direction with it, and I have an extensive process with each episode in which I transcribe all Danny and Mac quotes down for use in the chapter. I don't even have my DVD box set of Season One with me. I am so saddened by not being able to finish it. Dog Tags was to be my masterpiece. Think was my masterpiece oneshot, but Dog Tags was meant to be my best work. Hopefully, one day, I might remember the path I was heading down, but for now, I'm stuck in the mud. I might write some more fanfiction for other fandoms now and again. Thank you to all who supported me and gave me those sweet reviews.


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